The remains of what was once Nith estuary’s busiest emigrant port have been designated a national monument.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) named Carsethorn Pier a protected feature last week after undertaking detailed research.
The skeleton of the structure juts 30 metres into the Solway and its wooden piles are visible either side of high water.
The most famous emigrant to leave from the port was 13-year-old John Paul from nearby Kirkbean – who years later as John Paul Jones founded the Revolutionary US Navy.
HES said the monument was “of national importance” in helping to understand the south-west’s maritime heritage, trade and emigration.
Its summary states: “Early emigration ships sailed from Carsethorn during the 18th and 19th centuries when emigration to the American and Australian colonies was common.
“One such early example is in 1775 when the ship Lovely Nelley sailed from Carsethorn.
“It was captained by William Sheridan and took 82 emigrants to Lot 59 on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
“Records show up to 21,000 people from the Dumfries area emigrated from Carsethorn Pier in the mid-19th century.
“The economic slump of 1851-2 was particularly hard and was a key date for mass emigration from Carsethorn.
“The pier was the final Scottish ground almost all those individuals ever stood upon as they set out to start a new, hopefully more prosperous, life abroad.”
HES noted a remarkable exodus from Carsethorn Pier in 1872 – when the entire village of Dunscore set sail for Sydney.
It said: “Every inhabitant of the village, including the teacher and blacksmith with his horses, opted to seek a new life in Australia.
“Individual examples of emigration such as this contribute to the wider story of rural depopulation in 19th century Scotland.
“The emigration of Scots acted as a catalyst for the spread of Scottish culture, place names and even genetics across the world.
“This has had a lasting impact particularly in parts of Australia, New Zealand and Canada.”
Structurally, the pier is described as “a rare example of a wooden pier with clear upstanding remains dating from the first half of the 19th century”.
According to HES, a survey in 2021 recorded 31 surviving piles along with 10 bracing timbers.
Constructed in 1831 by the Nith Navigation Commission, Carsethorn Pier was used by the Liverpool Steam Packet Company.
Coastal trade in the Solway Firth boomed in the late 1840s with nearly 25,000 tons arriving on steamboats such as the Countess of Nithsdale, maintaining established trading links with Liverpool.
HES states: “Carsethorn Pier was built specifically for supporting large scale trade on at least a national level.
“The pier had a vital role in the trade network within the Solway Firth and had direct links with the regional centre of Dumfries.
The monument is now legally protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological
Areas Act 1979.
